Whether BBI (Bob, Bari and Inzi) would do it or not will be known in a few hours from now. But, most of us on this blog, including myself have stressed the need of including Kaneria in the WC squad. And the better time would be to try him while Afridi is out for the first two matches. Remember, in the 1992 WC, Waqar Younus who was in such a devastating form was not in the team due to injury. So, Shoaib's absence should not be felt that badly if Asif is fit and that should suffice the needs. For that Asif must take complete rest and not do anything silly. Also, there is a rumour that PCB wants to conduct drug test for all their players before the WC, and some experts have expressed their concerns that traces of Nandrolone (more than the acceptable level) may still be present in Asif's system, that means he would be banned! What would be the alternative choice in case that dreadful thing happens? The bowling department is already very weak and without Asif it would be impotent.

One question: IF people like you, me and others on this blog can think of considering Danish Kaneria in the WC squad, and if, only IF, BBI do not consider him as an asset in the team and a potential threat to the opposition, then shame on them. They are really dimwits and not worth representing Pakistan as a coach, selector and captain.

let me put it this way ! not to have Kaneria in our team at any time is beyond me, he is always hard working,bowls with zest,guile and sincerity and I believe is a real team player,what is wrong with these people? look at what happened once they sent him back from South Africa, I just don't understand these people, I certainly hope they read your blog and pay some attention to your readers many of whom are more intelligent and cricket savvy than what I have seen these people do thus far, hope they listen.

A really important thought. Given the injuries to a number of pace bowlers, this suggestion makes a lot of sense.
Hopefully, he will make a useful contribution, if he is selected.

It is not so simple with Keneria. I would agree with Kamran to a certain extent. You make a very good point that Keneria is an attacking bowler. However, for me I would only consider him is Shoaib Akhter cannot be in the world cup. If Shoaib Akther is in then there is no room for Keneria. Having said that, you have to consider we have a good spinning option with Afridi and then we Hafeez and Malik as support. THere is simply no room for another spinner who can't even bat.

The fact is that Shoaib Akhter needs to be there. And the other aspect we have to consider is that all our fast bowlers seem to be fragile so we need pace back up in the 15 man squad. Given this predicament and the availablity of 3 spinning all rounders, there simply is no room for Keneira in the 15. He is a batting and fielding liability

Sorry Keneria... the only way you could even be half considered is if Shoaib Akhter doesn't play the World Cup.

Sorry to burst the Keneria bubble but this won't happen in a long shot!

HmMmMmMmm...Kaneria more than deserves a call for the Country, interesting observation of Mushtaq during the 1992 World Cup! And SINCE!!! Mushtaq will be accompanying the squad for the event, it is more sensible to pick him so that he can benefit from the veteran. But what is this news with possibly Moin Khan getting picked????? Does anybody see the sense or purpose behind that? Wouldn't that affect Kaneria's chances? This worries me, and I completely agree with Mr. Javed A. Khan's perception of giving Kaneria a chance or two to see how he plays out!

I have been saying all along that Kaneria should be in the squad. What the hell would Rana be doing in the squad at the expense of Kaneria? If PCB can ever learn from thier mistakes, the time is right now. What can we concievably lose by removing Rana? We can only get better...
Rao can be replaced with Rana, Yasi Arafat, Samiullah Niazi, whoever...even without match-practice, short of confidence, they will probably bowl better than him. If they are as bad, at least we can be satisfied with the thought that we did what was the best for the team, which wasn't worse than as it was. Rana will fail.
Akmal is another point in case. For the life of me get Rashid Latif, Zulqernain, or anyone, but Akmal. May I ask you whether you can live with the thought that Akmal might drop Ponting or Kallis or Pieterson in an important match? And we know that it will happen, it has been happening, there is no reason to dream otherwise...Please, consider it hard.

Ultimately in effect we will be discarding the bowler who would have taken quite a few more wickets in the test series but for a man who has let us down since awhile now.

Quite a U-turn Kamran.only a few weeks ago we where discussing Kaneria the Enigma. Now suddenly he is a match winner.

I personally think he would be a liability in the one day format. A spin bowling version of Rana Naveed. They both have loads off talent and variety, but not enough control , and can be very expensive. Only real legspinning threat in the one dayers is Magical Mushy given his form over the last 4 years at Sussex County in the U.k.

You seem to be clutching at straws Kamran. WE might as well be a bit more bold and crazier and go for a team of allrounders. HOw about Mansoor Amjad, Fawad Alam And Yasir arafat in the line up.
Imagine a side that can bat all the way down too 11. Could be Explosive. I think i am starting to lose my own marbles.

However I think Mansoor Amjad as a legspin allrounder could be a future threat to both afridi and Kaneria.

Off the topic ...but i read the blog ahead of me and googl-ed moin khan. It says Moin Khan was arrested for beating up wife...and released. I don't think i ll ever see a day in my life in which all the Best XI are :
1. Fit
2. Unbanned
3. Undrugged
4. Without any controversies

hey men i don't know kaneria is not for one days
where is it?
jamshed ahmed
anwer ali
sarfraz ahmed
otherwise pick up
wasim and waqar
i don't why they don't thoght about those player i saw under 19 world cup both bowler are amazing and wicketkeeper who have the skill og leadership why not give him a chance why akmal?
first they told he is away for whole one day series then immidetiely he started as opner why?
not afridi as opner he score most runs in that position why? i have only why they are not thingking like me

Shahid Afridi. Shahid Afridi.
2/42 (10.0) What brilliant analysis in the face of a 392 run total. Brilliant.
His bowling is steady, however his good first class record indicates he can further lift his bowling at an international level.
His batting provides the capability to do quick and extreme damage to opposition bowlers.
Pakistan need the capability to upset teams such as Australia. And there is no doubt that Shahid Afridi brings that capability, he is deadly and dangerous, and Australia are afraid of him. Remember what he did to Glenn McGrath in Australia a couple of years ago?

P.S. Kamran, I am still awaiting your apology about your article claiming that Qadir was better than Warne. I understand that you simply were making it up and trying to stir up some debate and I commend you for that. Of course Shane Warne was twice as good, as you of course know, however it was still good to get some debate going as Qadir was excellent to watch.

give him a chance wasim akram

You know, all can be speculated here, lets wait till the announcement of the squad, commend, ponder, blast or be hopeful towards what the selection is. Fingers crossed.

i thought thats good india have agoldon chance to won this world cup aus is also going to lost well no way india have a cup 2007

Fair enough Ashaq but three points:

1 My puzzlement with Kaneria was caused by his Test performances. With the onus on the batsman in one-day cricket, this could be Kaneria's chance to become a match-winner.

2 Even if you still consider this to be a u-turn, it's better to make a u-turn than head off down the wrong road with no way back.

3 Kaneria seems to be the only fit top-class bowler that Pakistan possess at the moment. Four or five months ago Pakistan's bowling options were plentiful, now they are pitiful

Hey Mr Javed.A.Khan relax dont get too stressed out sir. WE might not win the world cup but we certainly will be the most entertaining controversial,and colourful side thats for sure.

Think positive at least there wont be a dull moment with the present lot. Hell if your gonna lose might as well do it in style.

Incidentally Moin Khan has belatedly thrown his hat in to the ring. Well thats something to ponder. Certainly a far more colourful option than Akmal if nothing else. Moin as vice captain certainly would be an interesting contrast to Inzis personality.

I 200% agree with u Kamran and in my previous comment i wrote that Kaneria should be in the squad for WC not only in 15 but also in starting eleven irrespective of the fact that Shahid Afridi is playing or not because bot are different legspiners. With Afridi you cannot go on all out attack in crunch situations but with Kaneria you certainly can. He should be the part of team as a regular member but unfortunately due to some inexplicable reasons he is not. I think a quality legspiner must be in any side. They might be bit expensive but they can provide vital break throughs. But unfortunately now a days genuine legspinner in ODI a rare commodity.

Kaneria!
A good bowler is a good bowler in both tests and one-days. If you give our bowlers a bowling plan which would have it to consistently pitch the bowl off and around off stump at a length that hits the top of off stump, then that bowler will be successful in both tests and one-days.
Kaneria was reasonably successful in test matches against South Africa. Who knows without Akmal he might have won us the lost matches as well. Secondly, South Africa had to only defend against Kaneria knowing that rana would soon come to bowl. In one-days they will have to at least make runs consistently. Moreover, in the latter matches in the West Indies the bowl will take a lot of spin. Lastly, looking at the alternatives now, selecting Kaneria is a no-brainer. But i guess you never know with Inzamam and the PCB. They still might persist with Rana and Akmal, while they discard Kaneria.

My vacation, work schedule and watching world cup all depends on PCB selectors. Like others i have also stressed on selecting Danish in ODI team before and and i would still say the same. Danish would be a good asset specially without Afridi against W Indies and infect against any other team he can be leathal.
It all depends on how to use him, when to use him and who will be the keeper for important stumping chances and caught behinds !!??
Will inzi be fit enough on the crunch games(2nd round)?
How many of team members will be on the beach party before an important game?
Stay tune !!

The latest news is even Mohammad Sami is injured and that's why he is not playing. No wonder why we have to see so much of Rana Naveed. What's happening to these fast bowlers? Are they so fragile and so unfit that they cannot last three test match and a 5 ODI series? What a shame!

Omer Admani:

You are saying: "Rao can be replaced with Rana" you mean to say, "Rana can be replaced by Rao"? Since Rao Iftikhar is already there in SA, I hope they include him in the playing XI for the 5th ODI.

Ashaq:

I am not supporting Kamran Abbassi's view nor criticizing yours, but in that thread (Kaneria: An enigma to all) what Kamran Abbassi highlighted by saying that; "Kaneria failed to take a single wicket in these (the first test) circumstances is bewildering, an enigma." Well, enigma means a mystery, and every player goes through a patch which could be bewildering and mysterious, especially when he is not performing, we say whats the mystery, why is he not performing? But, very soon Kaneria got in to the grooves and bowled magnificently in the second and third test. In my opinion he has been a luck less bowler, especially in the recent past. But, its sad to see that some people were pushing Abdul Rahman ahead of Kaneria and that is absolutely wrong and an unjust comparison. Abdul Rahman has no credentials, no history, no track record, just 2 wickets twice against WI at home. In SA, when he bowled in twenty20 and in the ODI as well, he was lacking in self confidence and was thrashed all over the fence. Whereas, Kaneria bowled very well in the second and third test, yet he was sent home on the notion that PCB has labelled him as a test bowler only! Yes, he is a poor fielder, so is Monty, but England is keeping faith in Monty and he did not fail them.

Also, there a tendency among some people that they love to push new names like, Fawad Alam etc. They should know that Fawad Alam's one time 5 wicket haul and a fifty in a domestic match does not warrant him a place in the WC squad. You cannot experiment new players in such an important event like WC by bringing in debutants. If the selectors are going to include any debutant in the 15 I would demand a court martial against them. It would not only be suicidal but also a big insult for the other players who have already played for Pakistan. If Fawad Alam is so talented he will get in to the team after the world cup. I wish him all the best and success in future, but not for the world cup.

Kamran I was just teasing you. I think the reasons you put across are quite valid given the present situation. I would also fully concur with Javed sahib from Canada. Who as usual has put across a forceful argument.

"Its better to make a U-turn than head off down the wrong road with no way back". I love that sentence pretty good advice for anyone in general.

Agreed with you, Kamran! I love to see Kaneria in WC games. I can only pray for him to be included in the squad. It would make a huge difference. He is the match winner!

I have no fear to say that the reason Kaneria is not in the ODIs bc of Inzy. Inzy does not want Kaneria to play in ODIs. As long as he is there, Kaneria (and all of us) should forget to play in ODIs...

when pakistan won thier second odi i make the prediction that with that squad only tow things can happen either pakistan score 402 or (more likely)102.more likely happen in just few days.
i always think u do not need a allrounder who score 20 runs but gives 45 or more runs in less than 6 overs.squad shoud have atleast 4 spaciliast batsmen and atleast three wicket taking bowlers than at the end u have 4 spots to fill with a slugger ,keeper,good middle order batsman allrounder and allrounder whos bowling job isonly not to give runs and if neede can hit at the end of the inning.if u try to add way too many specailst or way too many allrounder in yuor team than u will take a chance of inconsisty in yuor team.

I would rather that Moin threw his bat out of the ring than throw his hat in the ring.

Kaneria is no Shane Warne not even Mushtaq. Filter his record for Bangladesh and look at rest. He may be able to take 500 wickets and play 150 test matches but he would never be such a big threat as Warne was not even as Mushtaq was (though for a short duration during 95-96).
Shahid Afridi is much better a spinner than him in one dayers.

Those who think Kaneria is a match winner, look at his performance 2nd innings during first test and last test in SA. He only plays his part in winning when someone else starts the collapse.

Just like Sami, Kaneria is an enigma. People like Ramiz Raza would call Sami a wicket taker without looking at his record. Its just a same way as Kamran Abbasi would call Qadir better than Warne.

Kaneria would not make it in the WC. He would be torn apart by the opposition teams. I think the PCB should stick with what they have said about Kaneria. Yes, Moin Khan has said he is available and fit for the WC. I think with Akmal being known for dropping so many catches, its time to turn to the old horse. That would be a very bold move, are the PCB selection committee ready to unshackle themselves with such a move? We'll find out in merely hours.

Yes, you are right Kaneria could be the matchwinner. I hope they select him for the world cup. They also have to find a better opening pair. The current one Nazir and Akmal looks good for nothing. They should also consider Samiullah Niazi the left arm seam bowler. IN the last ODI they should try Yasir Hamid, Zul Haider and Rao. With current form they cannot make it to the Semis in World Cup. Lets hope the best.

KARACHI, Feb 12: Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and pacer Rao Iftikhar have been reportedly included in the 15-man Pakistan squad for next month’s World Cup in the West Indies.

I agree with every word what you have said but I also beleive that as inzimam is a veeeeerrrrryyyyyy defensive captain, he would just like to stop runs by offspinners rather than taking wickets with a legspinner. Imran Khan has been saying this for a long time attack is the best policy and a legspinner in ODI is an attacking option. One more thing to consider here is that a legspinner's effectivness depends upon the quality of the wicket keeper. Mushtaq Ahmed had Moin Khan, Warne had Gilchrist, who does kaneria has ??? Akmal??

The problem with Danish being in the ODI team is his complete lack of fielding and batting skills. Certainly preference in ODI games is goven to people who can contribute multi-dimensionally.

However, given the current injury hit state of affairs, I think you make a good point. Plus trying to attack him in his ten over spell would definitely result in wickets or at least less than 30 runs; another good point you make.

Let's give him a run.

Well u r right that he should be selected before.But the time hasn't gone yet.Its just that when our selectors will think about it.The way our medium pacers are being hammered in the middle of the innings,its badly needed that there must be a bowler who contain runs as well as a wicket taker.And Kaneria is a wicket taking bowler.So lets wait and see what our team management is looking upto on this issue.

kaneria can play at an expense of a either (asif/gul/shoaib) or an allrounder like (razzaq/afridi/malik). do u think its really worth it ? plus remember guys, kaneria can be really expensive unlike afridi who can not only take wkts but afridi can also stop runs.
ICC have given us a chance to substitute an injured player if a need arises so lets cross our fingers and hope all three main fast bowlers come good. if not we can always substitute kaneria with one of the injured player

Kenaria does not hold the pivotal position to lift the world cup. The key to the success remain in selecting an effective opening pair and the opening pace express!

Due to their myopic vision and insights, DNA & Co. (Dr. Nasim Ashraf) are in process of failing to select a winning combination of talented cricketers. DNA & Co. ought to listen to what Imran Khan has been saying about the selection of world cup squad. Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed must be included as openers. Half-fit Shoaib is still more effective than the rest of pace attack.

P.S. Various Business schools around the world could incorporate case studies, on DNA and HP’s Carly Firorina, to teach student how efficient organizations could be ruined by mediocre leaders and their myopic vision.

Well guys. I am sure Kaneria will not be needed for world cup. Use malik, afridi,and hafeez

But I earlier recommended Samiullah Niazi for the world cup.

His speciality is left hand bowling that Pakis doesn’t have which is needed for the squad to bowl against Left handed batsmen

I can only say that the reason behind pakistan's success in 1992 and 1999 final was not a leg spinner. In 1992 Imran khan come at no. 3 and hold the batting line up by playing slow but safe and their was Javed miandad who glued to crease in every match so that others can play their game. The best example is the semi final of 1992 against New Zealand. In 1999, Razzak was playing at no. 3 and was playing very slow but safe game and let the others come and play attacking game. Pakistan current batting line up is attacking and un predictable so they can score even 400 or bowled out for 50. Suggestion for Bob, Inzi and Bari is to see the videos of 1992, send Razzak and let him play the role Imran has played and tell younis to fit in shoes of Javed Miandad. About Bowling , in 1992 we were short of two bowlers and even ejaz ahmed was bowling his ten overs against Australia. Its all depend on the mind of captain.

Zeeshan

Previously I used to write my comments as "ali", but since many people have started to use "Ali", I am switching to "ali a".

Anyways, it looks like Shoaib is going to be out (according to dawn - could be knee injury and/or dope test results we don't know). Surprisingly, Gul is also in doubt. I remember hearing his interview about week to ten days ago that he was completely fit, infact they showed him cycling in NCA. Now how come he's still unfit? I have seen Shoaib and Gul both come on TV more than week to ten days ago claiming their fitness levels? What's going on?

I think given all the uncertainties Pakistan now has, it is the best time for them to gamble: Lets take Kaneria or Mustaq Ahmed as a spinner, Wasim Akram as bowling coach. Some people are leaning towards Salman Butt (I have my doubts, but why not). Someone else wrote in last blog that Rashid Latif has been playing WI domestic lately, lets take him too, he better than Kamran in keeping. What else can go wrong that we already don't know?

I think Sami could be a little better than Rana, since he's been struggling. On other hand, have Rana, Azhar, Razzaq and Sami unofficially take lessons from Waqar (don't worry Bob, Inzi and Nasim A - we won't publicize your dumb dumb dumb mistakes).

Oh by the way as I said before in other blog, don't play Asif in the last SA ODI, rest him please. The series does not matter now.

Oh please give a boot to Inzi and Bob in the rear (tell them their bonus depends on winning the WC). Inzi even dawn is writing you off man as "his best days are behind him", so have some dignity (look at pathetic England, even they won the CB series or say Aussie let them win). It looks from your face as the current series was not challenging for you... lets hope WC is.

Ball starts turning in Caribbean as early as 15th over. So there is almost a 25 overs span where an attacking leg spinner can have a shot to demolish the opposition. The only way Pakistan can get out of the inconsistent run is by playing attacking cricket. The fact that all teams will try to score big is a great opportunity for a leg spinner to gain wickets. The difference between Afridi's leg spin and Kanerias' is the amount of turn and remember what a turn can do ( Aus vs Pak 1999 wc final thanks to S Warne). If we would have two of our three frontline bowlers available ( namley Asif, Gul and S Akther) then we won't need Kaneria otherwise he is a must to add sting to the attack. I am surprised when people say that we should pick some guys from under 19 wc winning squad. The real World cup is not a stage for such debutants. The atmosphere and pressure of the wc is not the same as the junior wc. So please don’t be so hasty for those youngsters. Haste only makes waste. Also too many a players out of international circuit coming back in the team will only do more harm than good.
I shall stress again like I said in my earlier comments on this blog that most of our wins will come from strong batting performance and a reasonable bowling. Yesterday’s loss against SA by ten wickets and our win against SA just showed that. Having a bowler like Kaneria in the squad gives us higher probability of a respectable bowling effort. Without him it might come out to be very poor.

I think most people on this thread have gone a bit desperate including Kamran. Kaneria bowling credentials even in test cricket are suspect! Leave alone ODI cricket where his batting and fielding will be an out and out liability. This guy could not pick up a wicket in 4th innings chases in SA. He was hammered all over the park in England. Inzi will never use him in an attacking mode like Imran used Mushtaq. If you beleive that Inzi will have a slip and silly point in place in the 25th over when Kaneria is bowling you have not been watching the same captain I have. If you want a spinner in the middle overs Rehman is a much better option. Even I think that between Afridi/Malik/Hafeez we have enough spinning options. And if you need more proof of Kaneria's ineptness, take a look at his record in the first innings of test matches against all teams except Bangladesh. A ODI pitch is likely to be a 2nd or 3rd day test pitch not a 4th or 5th day pitch where Kaneria is most effective. I'm sorry but to compare Kaneria to Mushtaq is not an effective comparison at all. Like I said at the start, if he is included the selection will reek of desperation.

Its true that wicket taking ability in the middle overs is critical. The importance of overs 20-40 is sometimes overlooked. This is the period where a team can build the platform for a big total by playing risk free efficient cricket and accumulating singles and twos. As a bowling side striking in these overs can really set the batting team back as they are never able to build the momentum required. Our middle overs bowling right now does appear thin and can easily be milked for runs. However, I am not sure Kaneria is the solution. He has an inclination of losing the plot and his focus if attacked at the beginning of his spell. And this is a well known fact particularly in the county circuit. All teams look to attack Kaneria in the first few overs he bowls and he just falls apart. I think Pakistan will have to do with Abdul Rehman and the part time bowlers with a mid innings spell from Shoaib in between. The key will be to set single saving fields and create pressure. Not to allow easy runs. That needs astute captaincy and sharp fielders in the ring. If you dry out the runs in the middle overs it creates a lot of pressure and leads to wickets. The SriLankans are experts at this. But they do possess some very sharp infielders.

i think at this stage we should include kaneria, we have no any other way. because kaneria has many technique to handle batsman from attacking.

If Pakistan wants to be a serious contender in the World cup they need to improve their bowling. If they rely on their batsmen they are not going to win the cup and it is not fair to ask your batsmen to perform all the time. I hope it is clear to the Pakistan board that no team with less than two wicket taking bowler has ever won the World cup (well we can leave the Indian win out since that was just luck on the final day). You would not beat any half decent side with just one attacking bowler (Mohammed Asif). Pakistan need to play Danish and someone else from the domestic cricket and may be a new face might get you some wickets, I think Sami and Rana would be a waste of place, I know that Rana was the man of series against WI but I do not think he bowled well even in that series, I think the only good wicket was of Lara when he opened. Every other wicket was due to poor batting. Rana has lost his touch and Sami is just taking up space. They need to go back and find their rhythm in domestic cricket. The trashing by South African batsmen has clearly shown that Pakistan bowler are not learning bowlers (specially Rana and Sami), they keep on bowling in the same area again and again. Honestly I do not think the coaching is good all the way from Bob to Mushi, they are not doing their job. I hope Pakistan include some new faces and play Danish consistently in One Day Cricket. He might go for 50 runs but there is a chance that he will take a bunch of wickets. Our bowlers are going for runs anyway so why not take a genuine spinner when all the cricketers in the world don't know how to play leg spin. I hope the Pakistan selector realize this but then again will they? So long from a dedicated cricket lover in Denver

Let's say that Bari includes Kaneria in the 15 man squad of the world cup and he gets the support of Uncle Bob (the coach) also. Do you think Inzy has enough confidence on Kaneria to perform in an ODI within 10 overs? We have talked about this before, as pointed out earlier, that Kaneria has disappointed us on the tracks which were ideally suited for him in the Test matches.

Mushtaq was tried in ODI's before when he played the World Cup of 1992, and frankly speaking, the team had not performed as brilliantly in the earlier games as they did in the semi-final and final.

Personally I think it will be big gamble to pick Kaneria . . . it may work out but may backfire also. And please do not forget his fielding which is an act of comedy on the field. You can't replace him with Azhar Mahmood (better batting ability) or Rana (better wicket taking ability in ODI, only if he gets picked up).

By the way, what's the news on Saqlain Mushtaq? Does he exist anymore?

I really feel that the control which kaneria showed in test series in SA, he deserves a place in ODI team.
With a bit of luck & better wiket keepng he could have picked a few more wickets.

But...

I dont think that Kanaeria Inzi combination will work as an attacking option in middle overs because sometimes the fielding positions which inzi opts for, even for new batsman is often defensive i.e 4 men in the ring & kaneria will be treated as any other finger spinner, frequent singles & ocassional boundary

To take most from kaneria you must have an attacking captain and should have been an understanding b/w bowler & captain which isn't in this case.....in ODI's.

If we see the 2005 tour of Pakistan to West Indies, Kenaria has taken 11 wickets in two test matches with a remarkable haul of 5 for 46 in 20 overs. But the questions arouse that he didnt play in ODIs and his record in ODI is not so Impressive. so can he be a threat to the batsman there

imran khan has been crying out for kaneria for as long as i know;the team management didnt hear the call then so i doubt if it would be heard now.i would prefer a specialist to a bits-and-pieces player anyday,unless of course the specialist isnt worth it. kaneria could have been an interesting choice had he been tried earlier but right now he's an unkown quantity in ODI's.
lets not forget dear old PCB's ways though,there's no way they are gonna change their strategy abt him.
lastly,i dont think calling for kaneria is a mark of your desperation kamran.its a fair enough call given the circumstances.who would have thought our team's first-choice bowlers would be injury-ravaged come the world cup?had shoaib and umar been fit,the thought of kaneria might not have even crossed the mind of some of you out there. turns out,imran khan has always been ahead of the rest....its a pity his cricketing brain isnt being used,lets not forget,he was the man who won us the world cup. kaneria's selection was his call but would our mentally-challenged PCB ever listen?

Not a bad thought. From your original team, I would drop Rehman for Kaneria. Rehman is not much of a batsman either. On a separate note, I think we should revisit Salman Butt as an opener. Of all the openers we have tried under the Woolmer/Inzi era, he was the least likely to throw his wicket away and also showed the capacity to play bigger knocks and not just the odd quick 50. We desperately need the openers to fire because then our middle order followed by the all-rounders can be a winning combination. If I had to pick two between Nazir, Hafeez and Butt, I would make Butt one of my choices and then figure out who to gamble on between Hafeez and Nazir.

The equation is simple.You got to go with your best bowlers and to me kaneria is the second best in pakistan at the moment after asif.Leaving kaneria out would be a foolish mistake considering how impotent the present pakistan attack is.In my opinion he is a quality hard working bowler .His strike rate may not be great but he will definitely fare better than rana naveed,sami etc..
Pak at present time simply lacks quality wicket taking bowlers.There is no one in the team who can block runs at the death...
Pakistan should follow India's example of picking Kumble for the same reason.

Dear Kamran Bhai,

As I mentioned yesterday only in my statement that Danish Kaneria should be in playing eleven as the wicket in WI will be slow. Let us keep our fingers crossed as the team will be announced in a few hours. It would not be out of place to mention that the specialist needs to be picked for this mega event otherwise, it will be suicidal. I fully agree with you that in the middle of the innings, Kaneria will be handy. Let BBI (Bari,Bob &Inzy), think about him. We can only build up pressure but rest is up to them to decide????

I think you are right in suggesting Kaneria’s name for the World Cup squad. I mean, had Inzi been using his head, Kaneria should not have been sent back after the test series as he was the 2nd most successful bowler after Asif.

In the current scenario, as far as one-days are concerned, Asif & Afridi have been the only bowlers who have brought any respectability to our bowling attack and with Kaneria in the side the bowling department will certainly strengthen. Shoaib Akhter & Umer Gul are still not fully fit and it would be interesting to see what kind of rhythm they would be in once they do recover from their injuries.

Finally I just hope and pray that Inzi uses Kaneria tactfully and remembers as to how Imran used Mushi during the 1992 Cup.

Kaneria bowling 10 over conceding 40 odd runns; batting miserably and fielding poorly - hey you are talking about world cup team!. I am sorry there is no place for Kaneria. I have a question: What's Shoaib Malik doing in this team?

Honestly speaking! I have never been a staunch supporter of Danish as I have always felt he has been over rated in test cricket. Having said that, i totally agree on including him in the world cup squad. Pakistan lifted the world cup with fighters. You had only one strike bowler:Akram. Imran had a niggle, Aqib ofcourse was very economical, Mushy was bowling well in patches and then u had support from Amer & Ejaz. By no means a threatening bowling attack. As I write this column, you don't have a single bowler who is a certainty. Rana is out of sorts, Sami, Shoaib, Shabbir & Gul are injured. Asif has a niggle. Razzaq & Mahmood are not threatening. Who are u left with? Afridi & malik. I say bring on Danish & let's spare a thought for Samiullah Niazi too. The bloke has been travelling with the team for ages and has not played a single match. This just might be a blessing in disguise. After all, we don't have any alternatives and desparate times call for desparate measures!!!!

Rana bashing seems to be the flavor of the day. As usual the Pakistani supporters (ehsan faramosh) have let a few off color performances overshadow some really good ones.
I my self am no fan of Rana’s and am certain that there are much better fast bowlers than him in Pakistan. At the same time, I firmly believe that Rana is a better option than Rao, Sami or Kaneria in ODIs. He has had more than meaningful performances in atleast two ODI series from memory (in Australia and India) and if we compare, the other three have had one off performances in matches here or there. Infact I don’t even recall seeing Rao bowl a good delivery even. That hes taken a plethora of wickets on the domestic level speaks volumes of the caliber of the batsmen in Pakistan.
This is not the time to wring in such changes. I hope they persist with Rana and Akmal. Akmal who was until the England tour last year was hailed as the second best after Gilchrist isanother player who has been woefully out of form for the last year or so. Unfortunately, after his poor showing in the Tests on this tour the team management should have tried either Zulqarnain or Younis Khan as wicket keeper to take a meaningful decision
Not much to say for the rest of the team which is decided to an extent barring the ifs and buts on fitness and bans. End of the day, whoever is selected, we should put our full weight behind them and root for them to inshaAllah lift the World Cup.

i think kaneria should be in the worldcup squad as the picthes in West Indies is like subcontinent pitches and there are lot of chance for legspinner as other teams also relaying on spinners like India they have 2 good spinners though they left Ramesh Powar which should in the squad but its tough job pakistan must pick Danish Kaneria in worldcup squad as shoaib akhter is not able to make any selection in worldcup squad

Ridiculous, where is kaneria? he should be the part of world cup squad, he can be aorry he will be the mtch winner for us in the event. pick him mr. Captain, Mr. Coach & Mr. Old Selector

The good news is that first 3 of pakistan matches are with weak teams except WI and in those matches we can survive without Asif, Umar, shoaib akhtar, danish and afridi
pakistan's schedule of group stage is:

West Indies vs Pakistan - Tue 13 Mar
Pakistan vs Ireland - Sat 17 Mar
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - Wed 21 Mar

This means super 8 matches will start on 27th March so from there onwards the competition will get tough, which means Asif, Umar, Shoaib Akhtar have 42 days to take rest and then get fit by then which is enough for any player to get rid of injury.

I am sure Rana Naveed,Rao Iftikhar and Razzak can handle the bowling department against west indies, ireland and zimbabwe unless l lara/gayle tries to go after them and when super 8 comes then we can put umar,asif and shoaib akhtar in. Like this all of our 3 main strike bowlers will be fresh , energetic and fit by having enough rest of 42 days.

I agree, if shoaib is not fit than kaneria must be given a chance. Remember he is known for too much variety and experimenting in test cricket , which many critics argue makes him lack consistent line and length. But in ODI's the same technique might prove useful as it could keep the batsmen guessing and built pressure. I also believe that Pakistan must show hunger and fight like cornered tigers like the 92 team to have a realistic chance of beating better teams like AUS and SA. Hope Inzi and the boys will show up for this one!

Kamran, May be you are totally correct.. We might loose a trick or two by not picking up Kaneria in the World cup.. he surely is a wonderful leggie.. And in the absence of other strike bowlers he might be very handy..

Plus one more thing, the way he has worked all day in all the tests for Pakistan, I think he deserves a spot in the Pakistan World Cup Squad..

Drop Mahmood, Rana, Abdul Rahman, or anyone and pick him up he's the man.. !! :)

Haris!

Whatever Kamran. Pak is has been.

Well quite good comments from all you guys, i want you to check this out:
Indian Squad for WC:

1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Sourav Ganguly, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virender Sehwag, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 8 Dinesh Karthik, 9 Irfan Pathan, 10 Ajit Agarkar, 11 Harbhajan Singh, 12 Anil Kumble, 13 Zaheer Khan, 14 Sreesanth, 15 Munaf Patel.

I understand every team has its own combination, although Indian got 5 professional fast bowlers still they included two spinners.

Other thing, India is concentrating on all-rounder’s. Rest you guys have to decide. I agree with Mr. Kamran Abbasi.

Good Luck

I think Kamran Abbasi is right.Pakistan are lacking a genuine wicket taking bowler in the middle overs.Pakistan should re-think their strategy and must fit danish kaneria in the eleven.He can change the whole game in a few overs .

Given the ever-thinning resources of bowling and the impending WADA proceedings against Asif, it will be very wise option to take Kaneria along and I wouldnt be surprised to see him playing Deepak Patel by opening the bowling alongwith a fast bowler. Openers are generally vulnerable to quality spin bowling, but Pakistani openers are vulnerable to all kinds of bowling be it is of Collingwood or that of Brett Lee.

Imran Nazir is a very weak link in the batting. One good showing has catapulted him into an icon and we dont know for how long we shall have to wait to see another such innings of glorious uncertainties and rashness. Compared with Sehwag, Gilchrist or Gayle, Nazir is found wanting in technique and temperament. Unlike others, he generally plays across the line and doesnt wait for the bad ball. As long as the ball keeps falling in no man's land, he keeps playing, but it can not go on for ever. Like a rash driver, he depends on his luck, and the moment his luck runs out, he goes back to the pavilion. We need to have a solid batsman with aggressive intent for an opener. The new ball swings, seams and bounces more than the old ball, hence the need for technically sound and compact openers. I think Hafeez and Hameed will do well as openers. They need to be given time to settle in that position.

Pakistan is thin on bowling resources for the first time in decades. Sami's radar is out of order for a long time now, Shoaib is always suffering from perpetually incurable illnesses, Asif is an over-bowled and over-worked horse whose effectiveness will definitely be reduced under so much burden and the fear of imminent ban which can fall like a guillotine anytime. Rana Naved is not the bowler he used to be. It seems as if the batsmen have got his measure.

Fawwad Alam is a genuine all-rounder who has been constantly ignored. He is a better batsman than Shoaib Malik and a better bowler than Afridi. I think we can do away with Abdur Rehman and bring in Fawwad Alam as a left-arm finger spinner with tremendous batting potential.

It is of no use to include Kaneria in the WC squad. Kaneria can give away runs and his wicket-taking abilities are not going to be fruitful as long as Kamran Akmal stays behind the stumps.

I think Kamran Abbasi is right.Pakistan are lacking a genuine wicket taking bowler in the middle overs.Pakistan should re-think their strategy and must fit danish kaneria in the eleven.He can change the whole game in a few overs .

hi all
well kaneria should be in the squad simply because he gives us a chance to take wickets in the middle of the innings.But to me the big issue is shoaib and gul.They must be selected because a realistic chance of doing well in the world cup is attached to them.I understand shoaib is injury prone,he has been problematic but all said and done we need him for the world cup especially in those crunch games.A bowling atatck without gul and shoaib would mean a disaster in the most important event of the cricketing calendar.I hope these two can gain fitness and inzi and woolmer can bury past differences with shoaib for the good of the team.It is inzi's last chance and i think he should realize that the strongest squad should be selected.The performance in South africa is a testimony to the importance of these two to the winning chances of the team.i hope sense prevails.

It is extremly disappointing to see our fragile players down with injuries however It is more disappointing to see a player like kaneria suffer due to seemingly pointless politics. I dont get why abdur rehman was chosen in the first place, if they were to build a decent one day team/squad for the world cup. Another blow would be sending Imran farhat back as he's a typical one-day player. He did under-perform in the test series but see then again its the team management to be blamed as they have no clue as to how they should use their players. Akmal on the other hand needs to go back and learn the basics of quality wicket-keeping at the junior level (not domestic). In an international team of a country whose population exceeds 250 mill, I just "cannot" believe there isnt a better keeper in Pakistan. We have been the laughing stock for the past year with all the controversies surrounding the on-the-field and off-the-fields incidents.It might just be time for a change,a change in everything from the world cup squad thats going to be announced shortly and the team managment it certainly would help considering all our hopes for the world cup have far vanished in thin Air.

its no time for kaneria b/cwe have good spin bowlers in the sqad with bitting ability.if we select DK then i dont think he play the matches .then why we pick danish in the sqad.if we give chance him in south africa tour then u can salect him into the sqad.we have no time of thinking.he not play so many onedayes.in which he playes he not perform well.we have already four spinners in sqad with extra batting and fielding ablities.we have the problem of fast bowling department.work on that.

Inzi wont do it. While i believe that Kaneria can play a similar and possibly an even better role than Mushtaq, I don't think he has the right captain to do it. Even if he gets in the squad I don't picture Inzi putting any close catches, attacking with him early or banking on him in any way. Lets face it ... playing a leg spinner in the team who can't bat or field is a risk. I don't see Inzamam as a risk taker.
Kaneria could be a force in oneday cricket if he gets a more proactive captain. Spinners have special needs and Inzi doesn't have any will to fulfill them.

By running his mouth openly for the last few weeks, Kaneria has succeded in getting people to talk about him. I understand that without Shoaib Akhtar, the attack will lack outright pace, but the solution to that is NOT Kaneria. Kaneria's inability to run through top batting attacks even on spinner friendly tracks has been clear to see for everyone, Mushtaq Ahmed in the 92 and 96 World Cup, was effective because he had much BETTER control, temperament and confidence in himself even when a batter looked to go after him. Also, Mushy was fast and a good fielder and a decent batsman lower down the order as well. Kaneria is the worst fielder and the worst runner in Pakistan as his displays have already shown - Secondly and most importantly he lacks the heart and the temperament to succeed when the preassure is on and he will easily be taken for plenty of runs in the West Indies, where the grounds are much smaller than Pakistan. So - even with Akhtar out, you have to look at the fact that Pakistan will play allrounders as spinners because they give much better balance with their batting, and they are all good spinners as well. Afridi, Malik and Hafeez are quite capable as spinners and excellent ODI batters, therefore Kaneria has no place in the 11. I think the team can take him to the WI as the 15th player instead of Rehman, but I doubt whether he will even get a game because Kaneria simply does not fit into a ODI line up that has Nazir,Akmal,Younis,Yousef,Inzy,Malik,Afridi,Razzaq,Gul,Asif,Akhtar (Or Rao Iftikhar). Pakistan HAS to play 3 specialist seamers which is Asif,Gul,and Shoaib Akhjtar if he is fit or Rao Iftikhar if Shoaib is out. Razzaq is NOT a 1st change bowler and therefore he has to come on as 2nd change, followed by Afridi as the 5th bowler and Malik as the 6th bowler for Pakistan. This way Pakistan bats to number 8 and has 6 bowlers in its team. No way does Kaneria warrant the exclusion of an allrounder or a specialist seamer, because quite simply Kaneria isent good enough. He can whine all he wants, but thats the simple truth.

TO GO OR NOT TO GO WITH KANERIA

Kamran you have managed to stir up another interesting debate on the issue of selection. I guess like the team performance and its injury roster, day to day changes are not too far fetch. Danish is a good leg spinner and many may not consider him in the class of Shane Warne, Abdul Qadir or Mushty, but he is the only genuine leg spinner that we have got.

Even India has selected Anil Kumble in view of his big match temperament, experience and the belief that the pitches in the Carrabean will support spinners and the conditions will be similar to like what we have in the sub-continent.

Our selectors, Inzy and Bob may feel that when we have a full strength in our pace attack and with our all-rounders providing the necessary support in spin bowling, they do not need a regular leggy who can't be counted upon for Batting or fielding.

I agree with Kamran that Danish Kaneria can be useful for Pakistan in the World Cup, specially
in the absence of match winning bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar. In the recent Test Series against South Africa, Kaneria bowled well and should have bagged more wickets if the fielders had not dropped catches. Some umpiring decisions also went against him. He should have been given a chance to play the ODI's, but the return of the all-rounders meant that there was no space for him.

Right now Pakistan selectors have to be concerned about the weakness in their pace bowling attack. It is toothless without Shoaib Akhtar or Umar Gul. Rana is off color and Sami (with a niggle) has not been bowling to his full potential. Young Asif can't carry the entire attack on his frail shoulders and needs support from other bowlers to win matches. Perhaps the presence of Danish Kaneria can be a plus point for Asif.

Like you said in a few hours the team will be announced and there may some surprises in store for all of us. Let’s hope the selection will be a balanced one and the selected players will give their best team performance in all the matches irrespective of a win or loss.

I think apart from Kaneria, I would also pick a youngster who is a left arm swing bowler I forget his name but I watched the Junior World Cup highlights and was impressed. He looks like a younger copy of Wasim Akram. I am amazed that the selectors haven't tried one or two of these U-19 bowlers, Pakistan has a history of picking up raw talent and let them shine amongst the senior team.

With Shoaib, Gul and Shabbir all carrying protracted injuries & Asif [and Shoaib] still under the drug ban cloud, we should go for an unknown commodity.

He will be real a surprise package for our opposing teams and there are atleast 2 games in the first round where he can soothe his nerves and give a chance to a senior bowler to recover for the main rounds. We need youthful exuberance to go with experience and there is plenty of it in this team. I would pick a swing bowler with raw talent who will show greater zeal & vigour over the stale and off-colour 2nd tier pacemen which sadly include Rana, Rao & even Azhar Mehmood.

The selectors have killed talented players like Azhar Mehmood, he has been out of favour so often that there seems very little hunger. If I was Azhar, I would raise my hand and offer to open (take a leaf out of Ganguly's book..when it seemed there was no place in a water0tight batting line up with Sachin, Sehwag, Dravid, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Kaif & Raina he said he was ready to open and now that Kaif, Raina and Laxman are out of favour he is back as an opener and doing well against all odds, this supremo was written off by everyone a few months ago).

All rounders are good but will not win you a World Cup, you need specialist batsmen and bowlers and only all rounders who can make the team either on the basis of their batting and/or bowling to win a sustained campaign like a World Cup. Like '92 Pakistan had Imran and Akram, while Imran would have made the team purely as a batsman, Akram would have made it as a bowler; it was their other abilities that added value to the team effort. Malik and Afridi make the cut even Razzaq but Hafeez will not win games. Also Azhar has to bat out of his skin perhaps as an opener to be in the team else no point in batting up to 9 or 10. If your top 7 haven't made a score then chances are that you will never have a balanced side, i.e. not enough bowling fire power to defend a low score hence the need to have more than Asif as a pure specialist bowler. Kaneria fits the bill and if Gul is fit then you can rely on Afridi, Malik and Razzaq to bowl the 20 overs. Apart from Afridi I don't think neither Malik nor Razzaq have shown the form to go through 10 overs at under 5 an over. We need a rookie fast bowler in the squad and that can be at the cost of a second keeper. Akmal has to play the whole World Cup and deal with the work load of keeping and a recent loss in confidence. iw ould not recommend him to burdened with opening the innings as well.

How people could ask for kaneria is beyond me... a bowler who takes at least 50 overs or waits for 5th day, 3rd session pitch to take wickets is being hyped up as our saviour.
Afridi should be the spinner for the ODIs. Either of Malik or Hafeez would be there.

As a batsman ask yourself who you would want to face in an ODI... Kaneria or Afridi.. 99% would want to face kaneria. The way Lara and Co. decimated him on home pitches should be a good enough answer

my advice to kaneria is that please try to bat a little, even at number 11 you need people who can bat for 10/15 runs. It will make his chances so much better for the world cup squad.

The only thing that can be held against Kaneria is his fielding. But given the team's fielding standards, how much does he deviate from the norm really? Razzaq, Inzi, Yousuf are equally bad.

For those saying he can't bat either, why the hell do you need 10/11 bats in ODIs?!!! Its a fallacy to believe you need that kind of batting depth. *Usually* the first 7/8 win it or lose it.

All that said, they wont pick him - for the silliest reason that it will cause selection headaches, esp if Akhtar's taken. A pity.

Please Plz Plz have Kaneria for the following reasons:
1) Wicket Taking Option
2) Only 100% fit strike bowler with minimal chance of injury
3) Ability to either stay economic or take wickets, remember in SA, when he did'nt take wickets, he was extremely economical.
4) Shoaib Akhter in all probability will not be fit.

Having said that, I think if you have Kaneria, please select Moin / Latif / Zulqarnain / Sarfaraz instead of Akmal. Like someone said above, we cannot affort Mr. Akmal missing a stumping chance with Ponting / Hussey / Smith / Dravid / Lara on 9 facing Kaneria. I think Moin or Latif are the best options, with good positive attitude, experience and skills.

Finally, why are we not considering good attack bowlers from under 19, Jamshed Ahmed, Anwar Ali Khan, A Ayub.

Our automatic choices should be Asif/Gul/Kaneria and Shoaib (if fit). Do away with Rana, Shabbir, Sami. Have only one or maximum two from amongst Hafiz, Azhar M, A Razzaq. Afridi and Shoaib Malik are the inform all rounders, afridi a better bowler and malik a better batsman.

he is a test bowler not one day bowler his record will tell u the rest. abdur rahaman should be in the team. what about azhar mahmmod who is ganuant batsman also.

Unfortunately, injuries aside, it doesn't seem that Kaneria will be heading to the Carribean this March. Which is real shame. Let's just hope that whatever happens, plenty of ODI oppurtunities go his way after the World Cup. For retaining him as a test specialist would be a real waste of talent.

Maybe it is insane, but what about Mushtaq?
Comparison between Mushtaq and Warne in County championship (2006)
Mushtaq took 102 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 19.91.
Warne took 58 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 27.08.
Obviously, Warne is a better bowler, but Mushtaq hasn't performed badly recently. Took Sussex to county championships.
"Player of the season Mushtaq Ahmed (for Sussex) - 102 wickets, endless match-winning performances and forever part of Hove history" (Andrew McGlashan
September 26, 2006)

Kaneria a attacking bowler. But he would struggle in ODI version simply because of no match practise. Why was he not in team playing with SA.?.
Kumble is also struggling. Sorry but this WC is going to be worth writing about for leg spinners.
But due to injury problems of pace bowlers it is better to pick kaneria than Azhar mahmod ( who is spent force).

You have a point. Our bowling lineup with asif, rana, azhar and razzaq seems too similar as far as pace is concerned. With everyone bowling lower 130 and higher 120 it is too slow for todays cricket.

However you forget that we do have a leg spinner in Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi.

But you never know Kaneria might just be the answer to all our problems.

dont worry guys he will surely be there in the team, esp in the absence of shoaib and asif its impossible to overlook him.good luck to all

I fully endorse the idea to include Kaneria in the squad. He has performed admirably in the Tests for Pakistan. Why not try him out in the ODIs? Kaneria will be a better choice than an untested Abdul Rahman. Salman Butt also deserves a fresh chance. Don't want to see Rana in the squad.

Kaneria Disastrous performence proved him his diligency and skillfulness in recent Test against SA.I dont know which lobby is doing all that funda selection,which is absolutely indication of some malpractices behind all that recent Pakistan Fiasco.
Alls there experiments would definetely burst out in the WC with shame.
There should be an honest n Professional person nedded to tackle all that ,which in my opinion is Imran Khan (All the time Best Captain)

Well! the problem is even if you include Kaneria, you have a Wicketkeeper who can neither catch or stump. So, when teams started slogging against Kaneria, there will be many wasted chances behind the stumps.

At least you can hear him chirp behind the stumps, with his 'Shabash Kaneria' Bhai nonsense,,, hehe. And this guy is no Gilchrist either, his batting leaves a lot to be desired as well. I cant stand all this mediocrity going to the world cup. But then again it is a result of poor planning or rather no planning since the last world cup as well as petty politics and favorable domiciles of some of these glorified club cricketers.

I agree with Admani, Kineria will be discarded in favor of Rana and Akmal.

Forget the Kaneria issue for a second. Here is the real issue. Have you given thought to the possibility that Asif and Shoaib both could be left out of the worldcup squad. They still contain have nandrolone traces in their system ( rumored from an internal PCB test and scientifically plausible) and if tested at the WC (which they will be without a doubt) they are gone forever - Life Banned. Its a speculation yes, but a very real one.
I feel sorry for the Pakistan selectors and management. They've made mistakes time&time again by selecting the wrong individuals and overplaying them for the sake of consistency. Honorable mention goes to Hafeez and Farhat. Great young guns like Mansoor Amjad, Shahid Yousaf & Salman Butt to a lesser extent have been consistently neglected, all for the sake of a consistency which has never really been there. The only positive for the world cup is that its being held in home-like conditions with small grounds, low bounce pitches suiting power hitters (unless of course Atkinson pulls another ICC trophy like debacle: with seeming pitches in India!!
Also, Bob Woolmer better come up with a winning strategy and come up with it fast. The strategy to conserve wickets and blast in the last 10 which worked in 92 and 99 is annulled due to the 20 over power plays. Consistent attack is the only real option backed by clever tight middle over bowling. Lets hope Pakistan team picks up a winning momentum from the last ODI, making things easier till the lead up to the worldcup.

Agreed , we do not have any other option except to take Kaneria.. What a shame.... last 2-3 years we are trying to build our team for WC and tried many option excluding Kaneria because every body was convinced that he is not a one day bowler .. But now we are taking about Kaneria , Azhar , Moin (as per the press report) etc.. What is going on ? where is the plan? Azhar played in Last WC and then in Australia ... and now after two years directly in WC...? To me that shows how we were preparing for this mega event ... I wish and pray that Pakistan will win this WC but i do not think they are well prepared for this (Also it is not happening in holy month of Ramadan like 92 WC)..

This would be a big mistake to have Kaneria in the ODI team & that too in WI with such small grounds. In Australia with big grounds Imran even had Iqbal Sikander with Mushtaq.

Lastly Kaneria is not yet prove in ODIs, if we are that desperate then re-call Mushtaq - he's already there with the team.

This should be interesting. Personally i feel a bowler should be picked for his ability with the ball and not with the bat (classic example Ashley Giles; Ashes 2006). You need a bowler that can carry the attack on from the fast bowlers. Without a doubt Danish Kaneria has the ability and as mentioned before i think he would have picked up more wickets if Kamran Akmal had been in form.

One must not forget though that Test cricket is very different to ODI. Danish Kaneria has a few "glitches" to his system ie. his temprament therefore resulting him in bowling variety of deliveries rather than being consistent.

My personal choice would be to include him in the 15 man squad and make him play in the warm-up matches. I think the slow and low pitches of WI (lost alot of pace over the years) would suit him as they resemble conditions that of Pakistan; where he bowls very well.

On a different note people go to YOUTUBE and type in ANWAR ALI KHAN and you will see that guy's ability to swing the ball. Probably next King of Swing for Pakistan after Waqar Younis. I would love to see him bowl alongside Mohammad Asif in the near future.

Dear Kamran:

Inclusion of a front line leg spinner is a necessity in the West Indies (for most if not all venues).

A spinner would be needed to stem the flow of runs during the middle overs. The key consideration for the selection of a leg spinner has to be his ability to restrict the batsmen and tighten the grip on the proceedings. This is a key requirement and merits consideration as such.

Given the difference in style of deliveries, Abdul Rehman remains the front runner in this department.

He has better control and can easily vary trajectories of his deliveries against aggressive batsmen advancing down the track inducing false strokes in the process. Good fielding support would prove handy for him. The South African wickets are less spinner friendly - yet in every match Abdul Rahman played in, whether 20/20 or ODI, there were aerial shots of his bowling that Pak fielders failed to hold on to.

Kaneria concedes (rather leaks too many runs) and given the adverse fact, it can have in an ODI game for the bowler operating from the other end - he remains a distant second choice.

It's strange but true that I somehow, carry a strong feeling in hindsight about Abdul Rahman delivering in the West Indies and coming trumps.

Actually, having watched him in action live against the West Indies last year when I was visiting Pakistan, I have formed strong opinion about this prospect and as such I find myself more than inclined to back Abdul Rahman as an economical front line spinner who would give us a complete spell of ten overs with a degree of success - economy as well as strike some gold.

Seeing is believing!

Keep fingers crossed.

As a last note, never mind difference in opinion. We all have a right to make and hold on to.

Mohsin Malik

If one of our front line bolwers (Asif, Shoaib, Gul etc) are not fit then Kaneria is best option to have in WC. He can be destructive on West Indian pitches in the middle overs. But Pakistan main worry is to take early wickets in the first twenty overs. I believe that first twenty overs would decide the outcome of the match. In my opinion Rana Naveed is not a complete bolwer technically. He has round arm action which is most suspectible for leaking runs; seconldy, he can only swing the new ball by pictching it up which can be a good ploy to the batsman like Gayle but against Gilcrist, Fleaming and smith he can't be successful regurarly. If Shoaib is not available then we should persist with Rao who has good height and can move the ball both ways by pitching it on good length. Afridi has matured as a bowler and would definately be handy inshallah. For opening we should go with Nazir and Hafeez. Inzi requires some extra side games to find his supreame touch. Selection of Nazir & Hafeez also give us some nous in fielding also. In the end i must say that If Shoaib & Asif plays the WC we have a very good chance inshallah.

Kaneria in my opinion should only be considered if Shoaib Akhtar fails to make the cut, not because Kaneria lacks anything to stop him from playing limited overs cricket, i just feel that he hasnt been played enough, having said that he's an experienced bowler if selected he can do the job.
I think bowling's looking quite toothless right now, infact even with all problems last year i thought we still had a good chance at the WC because i was satisfied with the overall progression with the team. The only concern i've ever had is was the bench stregnth which is strikingly thin in Pakistan's case, more than the coach or the captain, i think it's the selector's fault. Inzamam as a captain has done a decent job in the last couple of years with the limited resources he's had.
Coming back to kaneria, it's one of those tricky scenarios, in the end the selectors just probably need to trust thier instincts and make a decision.I just hope that if selected he does makes an impact, he's complained in the past about him being overlooked, for once he seems to be certain to make it to the squad, let's hope he lives up to the expectations.

There are many reasons why this is not a good idea.

First, Kaneria is very inexperienced in ODIs. You are right in complaining that he was not used earlier, but the bottom line is that he is a huge unknown quantity. We should not be experimenting with our team during the world cup, we should be persisting with our tried and tested combinations. Kaneria's case would be stronger if we lacked other successful spinners in the team, but that is not the case, as I will mention below.

Second, Kaneria is a very poor fielder. Take our worst fielder and multiply that by 100, and you still will not get Kaneria. In a team that is already short of stellar fielders, we just cannot afford to bring in another slouch. Actually, that is the main reason why I am against Abdur Rahman as well. He needs to show more commitment in the field.

Next, Kaneria lacks any kind of batting acumen. True, he will be in the team as a bowler, but many matches will go down to the wire, and we need someone who can "tread water" in those tense times, and Kaneria is not that man. His poor batting could be excused if he was an outstanding bowler (eg Asif, McGrath, etc.), but alas that is not the case.

Finally, we already have successful spinners in the team. People lament the fact that we will lose Afridi's bat early in the tournament, but the real loss will be his bowling. His bowling has improved tremendously in recent times in ODIs. He restricts runs, he works fast, has just enough variation, and takes regular wickets. What more could you want?? I fear that Kaneria would experiment too much with this variety and be blasted to all parts of the field. In addition, Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have proven to be very successful as well. There is just not any room for Kaneria.

For these reasons, it is clear that the PCB would be extremely myopic in selecting Kaneria. But then, I have come to expect such crap from them. This clinical analysis in infallible! It would be a disaster if Kaneria was selected for the world cup--trust me on this.

A good choice, if and only Pakistan is really willing to play attacking cricket. But Kamran, what do you think, will Pakistan Captain be able to play attacking cricket. The leg spinner is always handy when captain is changing his plans as per the match situation, I really have doubts with Inzi capability in this regard.
I think the captain himself is not willing to take any chances.

I am just a bit worried by the ease with which left-handers (Lara and Langer from memory) seem to take him to the cleaners every now and then (and this in test matches).

Nevertheless it seems that he is being selected:

http://www.dawn.com/2007/02/13/spt1.htm

It is a tragedy that neither of the two great finds of the Under-19 World Cup (Anwar Ali and Jamshed Ahmed) were given a chance in the lead up to the tournament.

I dont think Kanerai can be suitable for one day cricket. in ODI, along with bowling and batting, fielding always makes the difference between two team. Pakistan is already handicapped in feilding with its few players cannot run or dive properly.
Beside other things pakistan's tail could be long.

In my personal opinion, Pakistani team would not have embarass itself in the ongoing series in the South Africa if Kaneria had been there. South African batsmen were having trouble playing Shahid Afridi, so just imagine the thought of Kaneria having a go at them. They have to pick him, otherwise they will lose, Asif can only take an attack to to opposing when the bowl is new, once that is done they can smash the other bowlers around; Kaneria can keep it tight in the middle.

Most of us agreed in the blog about the enigmatic performance of Kaneria that his biggest undoing had been his too much variety, too much enthusiasm, and over-doing things. He bowled in the tests with a One-day attitude where you have only ten overs to do all you can. Therefore, he can prove a handful for the opponents if he shows the same attitude in ODIs, but it can affect his performance in tests as it requires a total shift in attitude and temperament

I think danish is the only bowler who will succes in world cup, if selectors are really patroitics and inzi n bob are well wishers of pakistan,they must select Danish kaneria,bcuz our all bowlers are not performing weel except Asif.

Kaneria has to be given a place in the side, him and Asif give us 2 match winners with the ball. Pack the side with allrounders unto 9 to hide Asifs and Kanerias non ability with the bat.

Come on selectors be brave select Kaneria. We need his skill,aggression and fight in the side.

Hey guys I been reading most of the post up on the blog but I havent seen one intelligent comment so far. First of all, Kaneria should be playing every game why because you need a experience spinner in the team. I know you have hafiz, shoaib and afridi but they'r just over killers not any threat to opposition maybe once in a blue moon but not consistently. I think he's one of the best bowler who actually tries really hard, he puts his heart and soul in the game compare to the rest of the players. For example Srilanka has murli, New zealand has Vitteroi, Indian bajan or kumble, england has panesar, and goes on etc.. My point is in every department you got to have a specialist for example in fast bowling department you got Shoaib if not Asif so in slow or sping you got to have Kaneria, he's a technician from both sides.. Plus pakistan needs a video analyst to analyze the opposition teams weakness and strength. So he can advise the bowlers where to bowl for specific batsman... Its not street cricket its international so more attention is required.....